1962 Aston Martin DB4 Barn Find Has Emotional, Hollywood-Like Background Story

Not long ago, we showed you how the Stig managed to get his hands on an Aston Martin DB5, albeit a replica car, and then proceeded to slide it around like the absolute madman that he is. This publicity stunt was used as a way to promote the (hopefully) upcoming James Bond movie, titled "No Time to Die." And there's sort of a Bond vibe surrounding the story of this 1962 DB4. This is a car that could do 139 mph (223 kph) back in 1960!

An Authentic British Legend

The first DB4 rolled off the factory floor in 1958, and by 1963 a total of 1,204 units were built. Nineteen of those units were slightly more special as they were modified by Zagato in Italy. Even though the car we're looking at right now didn't get the special Italian treatment, it's still one extremely rare vehicle. We won't go into all the technical details of the DB4, which would most likely be a blast to drive even by today's standards, but instead, we'll focus on its exciting background story.

This 1962 Aston Martin DB4 is a true barn find, and it has been sitting in storage, collecting dust, for 30 years now! Underneath all that dust, you can see the blue paintwork, and it has a red leather interior, which is definitely going to require the next owner's full attention. This car has been with the same owner for 40 years now, and even though he initially planned to restore its original shine, he just never got around to it.

And we haven't even gotten to the interesting part of the story yet. We stumbled across this short clip featuring the vehicle owner, and we get to hear the whole story straight from his mouth. Meet Connie Moore, out of Franklin County, Virginia. He talks about his old day-to-day job, and we learn that he used to specialize in paint and bodywork back in the late '60s. He then got drafted into the military and served in Vietnam.

Thank a Veteran

As he returned from Vietnam, he went back to his old workplace, where his old boss Arthur had saved him a spot. It seems that Arthur was a collector of classic cars, and he was an all-American kind of car enthusiast. "He loved everything American," said Connie. At one point, his boss, Arthur, asked him to help out with a 1936 Ford Sedan, which had suffered some damage during some prior repairs.

Connie went over to Arthur's house, where the car was being stored, and he worked for a whole two weeks to get it fixed. He repaired the roof, which had been damaged, and even painted the car. After the job was done, his boss asked, "What do I owe you" to which Connie replied, "Arthur, you don't owe me anything." Of course, his boss insisted he'd repay Connie one way or another. According to Connie, he was just grateful he still had a job after Vietnam, and that felt like enough payment.

It was at that point that his boss told him he had an old British sports car that was of no use to him. "It doesn't go with my collection, would you like to have it?", said Arthur. Of course, Connie couldn't say no to that, but the funny part of the story is that he was hoping the car would be an MG or a Jaguar, as he didn't even know what an Aston Martin was back at the time. And so, even though it was an RHD car, Connie took it and towed it back to his place.

Life Is Too Short

After Connie went through a divorce, he had to find an alternate storage solution for the car, and he went through two different locations before finally bringing it to his own place, where the car has been collecting dust for 31 years today. He remembers that when he first got the car, the engine was working, but the clutch needed a replacement, so he never managed to drive it.

Looking back at how the situation unfolded, Connie mentions that "I never dreamed it would be worth anything close to what it is worth now." While he has worked on a few cars over the years, the Aston Martin DB4 kept being put on the back burner, as both he and his wife thought to themselves that someday they would actually get to it and bring it back to life. I feel that this kind of hope is something that keeps most petrolheads working on special projects on the right track.

As the couple grew older, they realized that they might never actually finish the build and finally decided on selling the car. With the ongoing global pandemic, they thought they'd wait for a while longer before actually posting an ad about the car. With a heavy heart, Connie talks about his wife's sad passing in December of 2020, which ultimately led to him acting on finding a buyer for the vehicle. He called a friend to ask for help, and someone was bound to show and take an interest.

It was not long until Peter Kumar, the owner of Gullwing Motor Cars came over and bought the car. "Now I have the money to retire, but I don't have my wife anymore," said Connie as he withheld from bursting into tears. We hope the thought that his former pride and joy will be restored to its original grandeur will bring some comfort to his heart. Gullwing Motor Cars have set a price of $325,000 for this 1962 Aston Martin DB4, and we do hope the new owner will at least give Connie the keys for a weekend so that he can enjoy it after four decades of hopes and dreams.